Kevin Miyazaki: Artist Now! Lecture series

Kevin Miyazaki
Claire Haggarty

Kevin Miyazaki is a mainly commercial photographer based in the Milwaukee area, who’s work is strongly rooted in family, memory, history and space.  He has been featured in various magazines including: Readers Digest, Bon Appétite, GQ, and many others. He does commercial work in both environmental portraiture as well as portrait photographs done in studio. During his lecture he mentioned not putting limitations on what kind of assignments he would take, and by not doing so he was able to take a wider variety of jobs. I believe as a photographer who is just starting out that that would be an important piece of advice to keep in mind. He also mentioned that sometimes the best place to start out is a small local paper, and by starting small and growing your archive is one of the best things you can do for your art sometimes. Overall, I found his lecture inspirational and inspiring as a relatively new artist and plan on implementing much of his advice in the future.

Event Review - Kevin Miyazaki - Artist Now! lecture

Kevin Miyazaki
Event Review
Raven Mrozek

Kevin Miyazaki's artist lecture was not only interesting and thought provoking as far as subject matter and concept, but it also was very beneficial in regards to his discussion on commercial photography. He spoke on where his photography began and how it grew commercially. He began as a simple newspaper photographer creating documentary photographs that were mass spread. From here he landed jobs with the Cincinnati Magazine as well as the Milwaukee Magazine. The calm aesthetic in his images aid him in his freelance commercial photography, having taken many portrait and many portraits of artists. 
 
Kevin Miyazaki's discussion on commerce showed me that it is possible to go anywhere with your photography, and sometimes the best place to start is small at a local paper. From there you can create your own archive of public images tracing back to you allowing your photography to grow in the commerce element of art; it can even take you to other countries. Kevin Miyazaki's statement on how when photographing in other countries, a smile is the most universal language stood out to me. My mom always told me this same thing when growing up and I feel it is important understand this especially when photographing where people may not speak the same verbal language as you.

Aside from commerce, there is art. I resonated most with Kevin Miyazaki's photography discussing his family history. He utilizes family images his works as well as uses his family history to drive his concepts. Intertwining re purposed images and stories from his family's past is something I am currently working on in my photo project on family memory.

Artist Talk - Kevin Miyazaki

Kevin Miyazaki
Photographer
By: Kylee Diedrich

Recently Kevin Miyazaki spoke to students, faculty, and friends of UWM at the Artist Now! lecture series. Miyazaki discussed his fine art and commerce work from his beginnings to his current work.  I found the way he talked about his work to be inspiring.  His vision is extremenly refined and without the drama that young artists grapple with as they are learning.  Miyazaki is a talented photographer, with a lifetime of knowledge in the medium of photography.

The project I was drawn to the most was his project Perimeter.  I found the project particularly interesting because it loosely relates to my own senior thesis project.  He drove the scenic route around Lake Michigan photographing the people along the shores, as well as an image of the lake that day.  His approach is more narrow than my own concept, but I find his work to be one inspiration for where I could take my project in the coming years.  His photographs are beautifully quiet and thought provoking as they take the viewer along the shores of Lake Michigan.

Though Miyazaki's project was the result of a commission, I chose my senior thesis based on the connection I have to the lakes, and what I find so interesting about them.  Miyazaki's project shows the variety and connectedness between the populations and people who live and depend on the fresh water of Lake Michigan.  The images share the variety in the lake, as well as the variety of people who utilize it daily.  I look up to Kevin Miyazaki and use him as inspiration for my future as a graduating senior. 

Artist Talk: Kevin Miyazaki
By Deshawn Brown

Kevin Miyazaki is a local artist/ photographer living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He addresses  issues around Wisconsin; about family, history and both personal and institutional spaces. His photos have been shown at The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and The Rayko Photo Center and in solo exhibitions. Kevin is an adjunct faculty member at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and was an artist in residence at the Center for Photography at Woodstock in 2015. I really enjoyed the portraits of the people that Kevin came across. He captured these people as who they are. By removing the background, the artist focused dead on all the attributes that describes each person: their hair, body size, clothing, posture, etc. The photos of the Great Lakes where he found his subjects were far less interesting to me.

Kevin Miyazaki

Kevin Miyazaki

By Mandy Litwin

Kevin Miyazaki began his talk by mostly showing us a huge range of the work he has done in a more commercial setting. His craft and technique with his photography is very admirable. With every photo of his you see, there is an obvious sense of care. This includes his attention to lighting and composition, no matter the subject matter. During his talk, the audience learned about his experience with shooting all over the world, and for many different occasions and events.

The way he talks about his work also feels very confident. He knows what he is doing – and he does it. This is not only applicable in his commercial photography. As an artist, Kevin has a pretty clear mindset. A lot of his work is influenced by his family’s histories. His Guide to Modern Camp Homes project was very interesting. I like that he, in a sense, remixed a past real-life template to portray his concept. The presentation is unique and informs people on an important piece of history.

As someone who enjoys portraiture, his Perimeter series sat well with me. Though it is simple, I enjoy the idea of documenting people relatively casually. The images are beautiful and executed again with great care.